No quick solution: Shukla

The decision to play a match in Ahmedabad by the Pakistan cricket team could take some more days to resolve, says Rajeev Shukla, vice-presid...

The decision to play a match in Ahmedabad by the Pakistan cricket team could take some more days to resolve, says Rajeev Shukla, vice-president of the BCCI.

Speaking to The Indian Express from Lahore, Shukla said the Pakistan Cricket Board had several apprehensions about playing in Ahmedabad. The main fear, he said was a repeat of tension in the city if the Pakistan team played there.

Shukla, on a private visit to attend the wedding of former Pakistani Prime Minister Shujaat Hussain8217;s son, met PCB chief Shaharyaar Khan and national security adviser Tariq Aziz briefly yesterday to convince them about playing the Test in Ahmedabad. He said that the PCB was concerned about inciting trouble in the city, which is now peaceful.

According to a member of the PCB, Pakistan8217;s reluctance to play there stems from the trouble they encountered in the Ahmedabad Test in 1987. Pakistani players fielding on the boundary wore helmets because spectators hurled missiles at them.

PCB spokesman Abbas Zaidi said that the onus was now on the Indian government to accept the request. 8216;8216;We have serious security concerns about Ahmedabad which we have clearly explained to the Indian board. We are hopeful that the matter will be resolved within the next few days. I am not thinking of a 8216;8216;what-if8217; scenario8217;8217;, he told this paper.

PCB chief Shaharyaar Khan admitted that the main reason for refusing to play in Ahmedabad were security concerns more than political reasons. Just three days ago Khan had said that they were unhappy about Ahmedabad hosting a match due to 8216;8216;political reasons8217;8217;.

Seeking to clear the air about that statement, Khan told The Indian Express, 8216;8216;We are only worried about the security issues, nothing else. It has been two years and there is no trouble there now but with any small incident, memories could come back. Tensions could run high which could affect the political process. Those were the political reasons I spoke about.8217;8217;

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Asked if the PCB had moved from political to security concerns due to pressure from above, Khan said that all the decisions so far had been taken at the PCB level. 8216;8216;There has been no interference from the high command.8217;8217;

Khan said that the two-member security team that visited Ahmedabad had given a thumbs-up to the security arrangements but expressed apprehensions about trouble brewing in the city if the Pakistan team travelled.

Khan said that the report they submitted clearly stated that Ahmedabad could be a trouble spot for the team.

Rubbishing reports that the PCB feared the backlash it would face back home from the fundamentalists if it allowed the team to play in Ahmedabad, Khan said, 8216;8216;They fundamentalists are the least of my worries. We want to amicably resolve the issue here and have a peaceful and enjoyable series8217;8217;, he added. 8216;8216;We would hate a small mishap to undo the hard work put in to promote relations between the two sides.8217;8217;